Today, the verdicts of the Armenian prisoners were announced in a Baku court. Arayik Harutyunyan, Davit Babayan, Davit Ishkhanyan, Davit Manukyan, and Levon Mnatsakanyan were sentenced to life imprisonment. Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan were sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment, since Azerbaijani legislation prohibits sentencing persons over the age of 65 to life imprisonment.
The verdicts were predictable. “The Azerbaijani courts perfectly fulfilled their ‘role’ and translated the political decisions of the executive authority into judicial decisions,” said Siranush Sahakyan, director of the “Center for International and Comparative Law,” commenting on the announcement of the verdicts in an interview with news.am.
During the trials, the guarantees of a fair trial were openly violated. Not even attempts at the formal observance of these guarantees were undertaken. In Sahakyan’s view, the Armenian side must be able to challenge these decisions and processes before international judicial bodies.
The human rights defender does not see possible complications regarding the return of our compatriots following the announcement of these verdicts, since the processes are political. “In the cases of Vagif Khachatryan, Vigen Euljekchyan, and other repatriated prisoners, we recorded that they were repatriated without serving the sentences imposed by Azerbaijani courts. Moreover, in their return, an agreement operated rather than a legal process, specifically the transfer to the country of citizenship for the purpose of serving the sentence. This also proves that the processes are political rather than legal,” said Sahakyan.
Let us recall that 15 individuals - former Artsakh presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan, Arayik Harutyunyan, and Bako Sahakyan, former President of the Artsakh National Assembly Davit Ishkhanyan, former Artsakh Minister of Foreign Affairs Davit Babayan; former commander of the Artsakh Defense Army Levon Mnatsakanyan, former deputy commander of the Defense Army Davit Manukyan, as well as civilians Garik Martirosyan, Melikset Pashayanyan, Davit Alaverdyan, Gurgen Stepanyan, Levon Balayan, Madat Babayan, Vasili Beglaryan, and Erik Ghazaryan - are accused in 2,548 counts.
They have been brought false charges of crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes - preparation and conduct of an aggressive war, genocide, violation of the laws and customs of war - as well as terrorism, financing of terrorism, violent seizure and retention of power, and numerous other crimes allegedly committed by Armenia against Azerbaijan.
None of the defendants has admitted the charges attributed to them.